Spling has been told by directors that they wish they had his review when they still had an opportunity to make changes. He's been approached by screenwriters and film-makers to provide feedback from the second draft to the first edit. Having years of experience in reviewing in what's been described as a "deep-dive" format, he's been able to offer insights and distil the essence of a film. This is where he derived the idea for reviewmyscript.com, the desire to assist screenwriters and ultimately directors achieve their vision by starting with the all-important foundation of any film, the script.

Spling has teamed up with The Three Wells of Screenwriting author/screenwriting coach, Matthew Kalil, and experienced actress/producer, Angelique Pretorius. Together they've crafted a unique set of screenwriting services that will help writers get a constructive outsider's perspective, overcome writer's block, breathe life into their screenplay and even have a professional and independent review to punt their polished final product to prospective film-making partners, producers and film studios.

By projecting the screenplay into realisation in his mind, Spling is able to imagine the screenwriter's work as if it were playing on the screen and offer feedback on where and how it could be improved. Praising the good, identifying the issues and detailing this in a comprehensive review will help you improve your script, leverage your work and create a number of compelling reasons as to why your screenplay deserves to make the leap to the silver screen.

Other useful and unique screenwriting services on offer include: The Three Wells Analysis, radio plays, live table reads, script editing and script walks. Visit us at reviewmyscript.com for more information on how we can tailor a solution to take your screenplay to the next level.

Movie enthusiasts are already gearing up for an exciting 2019. The film studios have begun to release trailers for their upcoming releases and excitement is building among the film-going public. Some of the films are already being talked about for film awards by Springbok mobile players and other movie aficionados.

Some of the upcoming 2019 films to watch out for include:

What Men Want

In 2000 Mel Gibson starred as Nick, a chauvinistic male executive who suddenly gained the ability to hear what the women around him were thinking. Nick’s first instinct is to try to rid himself of this curse but he starts to realize that he can manipulate women by using the ability to read their minds to his advantage.

In the 2019 sequel, What Women Want, sports agent Ali Davis (Henson) is passed over for a promotion at her agency. Soon after that incident, she experiences an accidental knock on the head and suddenly finds that she has the ability to hear men's inner thoughts.

Ali begins to use this newfound ability to try to understand what it takes to succeed in a "man's world". Her ultimate aim is to outsmart her co-workers in a race to represent an up-and-coming basketball star. The question is, while Ali's new power is helping her get ahead, could it also be putting other important parts of her life at risk?

This is a feel-good comedy that gets a little raunchy at times but is basically a good film for the entire family.

Lego Movie 2

The 2014 Lego Movie was the surprise hit of 2014 for the younger set. That computer-animated adventure comedy film followed Lego characters around as good Lego guys battle the Lego villains to save the world.

The new movie picks up where the old one left off. Bricksburg is now a post-apocalyptic wasteland but Emmet, the hero of Lego Movie, must prepare to defend his hometown and his friends against new invaders. The movie includes many of the elements of the first film including characters, intergalactic action, Duplo intervention and royalty. When the evil Watevra Wa-Nabi launches an attack designed to take over the universe, Emmet and intergalactic hero Rex Dangervest team up to do battle to defend friends, family and fellow Bricksburg citizens.

The technology and imagination of Lego Movie 2 promise to be everything that Lego Movie delivered and more.

How to Train Your Dragon: The Hidden World

This is the third -- and ostensibly final chapter -- of DreamWorks’ How to Train Your Dragon trilogy. The first How to Train your Dragon film of the series followed a hapless young Viking who sets out to hunt dragons and learns that there are more to dragons than he assumed when one of the dragons becomes his friend.

How to Train Your Dragon 2, which came out in 2014, focuses on the characters Hiccup and Toothless who discover an ice cave where hundreds of wild dragons live. They encounter the mysterious Dragon Rider and embark on a battle to protect the peace.

The 2019 film, How to Train Your Dragon: The Hidden World, takes the viewers into the peaceful dragon utopia which Hiccup is trying to create. Toothless, however, discovers an untamed, elusive mate which draws away the Night Fury, causing danger to mount. Hiccup's reign as village chief is tested and he must join with Toothless to save their kingdom.

Greyhound

Tom Hanks wrote the screenplay and has the starring role in this WWII drama about Commander Ernest Krause, a naval commander who is charged with leading a convoy of 37 Allied ships across the North Atlantic while they elude pursuing German U-boats. The movie is based on the book, The Good Shepherd by C.S. Forester, a nautical war novel that explores a career Navy officer who embarks on his first wartime mission. Krause must lead the captains of the other vessels who are younger and junior to him in rank but who have already seen battle. He fears that he is unsuited to combat and, as he sets out on a battle of wits against the Germans, he must battle his own self-doubts and feelings of inexperience and inferiority.

The tale moves past the crossing, which concludes successfully, as Krause’s skills are acknowledged and he is given command of 'The Greyhound', a navy destroyer. Like the book, the movie illustrates the struggles that the Navy encountered during the Atlantic war, especially the exhaustion brought on by constant tension and vigilance. The movie also touches on the problems of early radar and the difficulty experienced due to poor communications between the High Command and the fleet as radio operators struggled with HF Radio and early manual cryptography.

Avengers: Endgame

The coming year won’t be devoid of superhero movies and the new Avengers film promises to be one of the best. Following hot on the heels of the highly successful 2018 Avengers: Infinity War – Part I comes Avengers: Infinity Wars – Part II, titled “Endgame.” The storyline of the Endgame movie revolves around the attempt to bring resolution to the conflict between Thanos, the Mad Titan, and Earth’s Mightiest Heroes. The war has been raging since the last episode and now Hawkeye, Ant-man, and Tony of Lost in Space are joining the fray.

Superhero movie fans will likely find Endgame to be quite satisfying as this movie marks the end of the Marvel Cinematic Universe’s “phase three”.

Dumbo

It’s one thing to make a live-action movie with human actors and inanimate objects but Dumbo adds animal characters to the mix in a heart-stopping remake of the Disney 1941 classic about a baby elephant who can fly, the people who are ready to exploit him and his friends who stand with him.

The movie follows the original storyline faithfully but adds new elements that give viewers a highly engaging and compelling movie experience.

As the UK’s top 10 favourite Christmas films for 2018 are revealed, streaming sites are disrupting tradition, with the majority of Brits shunning DVDs in favour of streaming sites and two Netflix Originals in the top five this year.

According to a survey of 1,024 UK adults, an incredible 73% of those watching Christmas movies this year said that they’ll be getting their festive fix from streaming services such as Netflix, Amazon Prime and Hulu.

This is compared to only 27% who’ll be favouring the traditional method of heading out to buy a DVD before snuggling up on the sofa to watch it.

The survey also reveals the UK’s top ten favourite Christmas movies, with traditional classic, It’s a Wonderful Life remaining the nations favourite, with 71% of people saying this.

This is closely followed by Elf with 68%. Completing the top three is Netflix Original, A
Christmas Prince, which 55% of those surveyed said was their favourite Christmas movie.

The majority (64%) of people said they traditionally watch their first Christmas movie of the year when putting up their tree, as this is when the festive season begins for them.

This is revealed alongside the news that an incredible 78% of UK residents will watch at least one Christmas movie over the festive period, with the average person watching six Christmas movies this year. The same people might even have a punt with this nairabet affiliate code 2018.

Mark Kelly, marketing manager at Laptops Direct said: “Given the popularity of streaming services, it’s unsurprising that many people will be opting to watch their Christmas films via these service providers, rather than more traditional methods. “However, I was surprised that the survey found this would be almost three quarters of Brits in 2018. The advantages of streaming sites are very clear, with the variety of choice and the convenience being a huge bonus over traditional methods.

“Given these findings, it’s clear that Brits are still very much in love with the Christmas movie, just that they’re adapting their viewing method in line with the times, though I was incredibly surprised to see a couple of Netflix Originals knocking some Christmas Classics
off the top spots this year.”

The Jungle Book is Rudyard Kipling's beloved tale of Mowgli, an orphaned boy raised by wolves, who comes to fend for himself in the wild. Disney recently converted aspects from the 1967 animated film into a live-action adventure. Renewing interest in the classic novel, it has since been adapted by Andy Serkis into a film with a greater focus on the man cub. Mowgli: Legend of the Jungle is a Netflix film, which released exclusively to the streaming service in November this year.

To launch the film, critics and journalists were invited to get into the spirit of things by attending the Mootee Bar in the trendy suburb of Melville, Johannesburg. Jungle Book-themed cocktails, wooden drink tokens, extra foliage and Indian-infused canapés were the order of the day. Greeted at the entrance by a spider web rope tunnel, the evening was bound to be anything but conventional. Having cocktails named after the main characters proved to be an eye-opening and mouthwatering experience. From variations on a piña colada to drinks served with naked flames, the evening was full of feasting and fun.

Instructed to bring a fully charged smartphone or tablet, attendees were given a set of Bluetooth headphones as well as a three month subscription to Netflix with 15GB data from Telkom Mobile. Poised for a chilled evening of drinks, snacks and Jungle Book culture, the unusual screening format was set to be memorable.

A message to the Johannesburg launch from motion capture superstar and Mowgli: Legend of the Jungle director, Andy Serkis, kicked off the screening event, which was designed according to the Netflix viewing experience. While presented with the opportunity to view Mowgli: Legend of the Jungle at the bar itself, I decided to watch the film in HD on a bigger screen in order to do the Mowgli: Legend of the Jungle review justice. Meeting with one or two familiar folks and connecting with some social media faces, the experience was enjoyable and welcome. The staff at the Mootee bar were charming and observant, making the trendy restaurant the perfect place to meet and explore jungle lore.

Act Cape Town is a South African film acting academy based in Loop Street, which was founded in 2005. The film school trains and nurtures acting talent, from short courses to training programmes over three years across acting disciplines suited to film, television and theatre. Act Cape Town director, Candice Poole, has built an accredited and reputable educational institution over the years, which culminates in an annual graduation ceremony. Functioning as an awards ceremony and an opportunity to showcase scenes and short films created during the year, it's an important milestone for fellow actors to come together in celebration. Invited among a host of renowned industry professionals and coaches, Spling was able to witness the ceremony first hand.

Act Cape Town prides itself on employing some of South Africa's brightest and most experienced acting talents as teachers. Grant Swanby, Nicola Hanekom, Tamryn Spiers and Matthew Kalil are just a few of the industry coaches developing the next generation of acting talent, taking a multidisciplinary approach in helping them showcase their work. The institution is geared towards a practical outcome for students, giving them the tools to get a foothold in the industry, offering experience in terms of professional know-how (auditioning, accent work, technique and improvisation) and generating great material for their first show reel.

A red carpet, champagne, strawberries and plenty of flash photography, the event drew parents, students, staff and friends to the Labia Theatre. Conducting the ceremony from within the Labia's main cinema, Act Cape Town's presence was felt through banners, screens and a branded lectern light box. While there were one or two technical glitches, the evening wasn't impeded, moving at a clipped pace. Certificates were awarded to students from 1st to 3rd year with great applause for each of the personalities accepting their certificate of completion.

Being screened at Cape Town's most iconic independent cinema, it must have been quite a rush or shock for students, who saw their faces on the big screen. Moving from scenes for the first year students who took screenplay excerpts from films like Get Out, Madea's Family Reunion and Revolutionary Road, it was enjoyable to see young talents being shaped and molded. The second-year students had to produce a short film, which enabled them to have more creative control, writing characters who aligned with some of their acting heroes and experimenting with a longer format. Then, the highlight of the evening was the third year film directed and written by Grant Swanby, which featured all of the third year students in a well-crafted dramatic thriller about a dysfunctional family.

Act Cape Town is a niche acting school that is equipping young actors, many of whom show great promise, and could very well be the faces of the future. With alumni such as Christia Visser, Carishma Basday and Jessica Sutton, it's easy to see how their focused training is paying off. It's wonderful to see blossoming acting talent, especially at a grassroots level and it shouldn't be long before Act Cape Town reaches a whole new wave of promising young actors in pursuit of their dreams.